Travelers were stranded across Europe on Friday, November 6, 2015, after hundreds of flights were canceled due to the strike against Lufthansa by the Independent Attendant’s Organization (UFO). Flyers scrambled to make alternative plans, while the ones that booked through a travel agent did not panic as much.

Thousands of stranded travelers attempted to reach out to Lufthansa directly. The airline’s call centers had wait times of over two hours with several reservation numbers not answering at all.

Meanwhile, travelers that booked their Lufthansa flights with a travel agent easily re-arranged their plans as travel agents assisted with the process. They saw little to no disruption to their trips after quickly reaching out to their dedicated travel manager.

Arranging new tickets for a large amount of tickets when traveling as a family, is not as easy when booking through an OTA, revealing how valuable a travel agent’s role can truly be.

Not only does a travel agent provide a direct line when a frustrating issue like a canceled flight arises, they have the resources to quickly solve the issue within a short amount of time. This reduces a great deal of stress for a traveler trying to reach their destination, allowing them to have more time to re-arrange their plans.